January 29, 2015

M-BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Badgers fall to No. 3 Rams 93-64 in first annual President's Game

Wednesday, January 28

Waterloo 85 @ Laurier 93

WATERLOO, Ont. (January 28, 2015) - Playing in front of a large crowd at their first School Day Game, the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks men's basketball team snapped their five game losing streak with a 93-85 victory over the Waterloo Warriors on Thursday morning at the Athletic Complex.

With over 1500 people in attendance cheering them on, including children from 12 different schools across the Waterloo Region, the purple and gold put on a shooting clinic for the fans. Laurier shot 54.8 percent from the floor and over 55 percent from three point range to pick up their fifth win of the season.

The Hawks did most of their damage in the post as Kyrie Coleman of Washington, D.C., and Aiddian Walters of Vaughn, Ont., combined to hit 16 of the 24 shots they attempted to pace the offensive effort. Coleman would finish the game with 18 points and 10 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double while Walters had 17 points in his most productive game of the season.

Will Coulthard of Oakville, Ont., ended up leading the way for Laurier as the fourth year guard had his second 20-plus point performance in the last three games. He finished the day with a team-high 21 points while adding five rebounds and three steals.

For Waterloo, they had two main weapons firing on this day but got little else from the rest of the team. Myles Charvis of Mississauga, Ont., and Jaspreet Gill of Oliver, B.C., combined for 60 of the Warriors 85 points with Charvis finishing with 37 while Gill had 23.

Looking to put on a show for the crowd, both teams came out shooting the ball well in the first quarter. Both the Hawks and Warriors traded buckets early on but a late run by the purple and gold gave them a 10 point lead after one.

Following an even second quarter, Laurier pulled away in the third as they managed to increase their lead to 20, giving them a comfortable cushion heading into the final quarter.

The Warriors turned up their defensive intensity in the final frame and managed to cut into the Hawks lead but they couldn't get close enough to make the game interesting as Laurier earned their fifth consecutive win against their crosstown rivals.

The Hawks will look to carry the momentum earned from this victory on to the road this weekend when they make the long trip up north to face the Lakehead Thunderwolves. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. and the game can be seen live on OUA.tv.

Source: Laurier Golden Hawks

(Photo: Colin Dewar)

Ryerson 93 @ Brock 64

ST. CATHARINES, Ont. - The Brock University men's basketball team (5-8 OUA) dropped a 93-64 decision to the No. 3 ranked Ryerson Rams (10-3 OUA) in front of a sold out crowd at the Bob Davis Gymnasium Wednesday night.

Prior to the ceremonial tip-off, Brock University President Dr. Jack Lightstone thanked all the sponsors and supporters that were in attendance for this special home event. He also acknowledged the committment, dedication and generous support to the university and athletics by David S. Howes, who will always be remembered.

"I am very proud of our guys for playing a solid three quarters against one of the top teams in the country," said head coach Charles Kissi. We have to learn how to work harder to close out games, but this was a great learning experience for our young squad. The future is very bright for the Brock men's basketball program."

The Badgers found themselves down 11-2 early on and continued to claw back into the game the entire first half, trailing by just four, 42-38, at the break.

The sellout crowd was rocking tonight at the Bob Davis Gymnasium. Right from the starting lineup introductions and light show, celebrity in game host Drew Ebanks kept the energy up and the crowd electric the entire 40 minutes. This is what CIS Basketball and sports are all about. Taking pride in what you stand for and cheering on your school and showing your colours.

The Badgers continued to battle and brought the score within one point, 57-56 with 1:59 left in the third quarter. Ryerson's offense then came alive putting togther a 14-1 run, over a two minute span, to take a 71-57 lead at the end of thirty minutes. The high-scoring Rams, continued their run in the fourth quarter, scoring 18 of the next 20 points, to take a commanding 89-59 lead, on route to their seventh straight victory.

Dani Elgadi (Waterloo, Ont.) led the Badgers offense registering 23 points and 16 rebounds for the double-double. Rookie Johneil Simpson (Toronto, Ont.) added 16 points while Yusuf Ali (Toronto, Ont.) chipped in with eight points off the bench.

Ryerson had five players in double figures led by Adika Peter-McNeilly who recorded a game-high 24 points, highlighted by six three-pointers (6-for-12). Jean-Victor Mukama contributed with 17 points and five rebounds, while Aaron Best (14 pts, 5 reb), Bjorn Michaelsen (13 pts, 5 reb) and Kadeem Green (11 pts, 10 reb, double-double) rounded out the Ram leaders. Senior Jahmal Jones chipped in with eight points and six assists in the victory.

For the game, Brock shot just 29.0% (18-for-62) including 22.2% (4-for-18) from beyond the arc. They were also 24-for-28 (85.7%) from the charity stripe. The Rams went 34-for-65 (52.3%) from the floor, 13-for-26 (50.0%) from three-point land and 12-for-18 (66.7%) from the free throw line. Ryerson also won the battle on the boards, outrebounding Brock by a 43-33 margin.

Source: Brock Badgers

McMaster 86 @ Guelph 74

Guelph, ON – After playing with the No. 4 team in the country for most of the night, the Gryphons would fall short in the end as the Marauders would pull away in the fourth to win 86-74. With the loss, the Gryphons fall to 6-6. McMaster improves to 11-3 on the season. Trevor Thompson led the Gryphons with 19 points. Aaron Redpath was the leading scorer for the Marauders with 23 points.

The first quarter would get underway with some high-paced action with a lot of emotion. The Gryphons would make their first five shots, marking a 10-4 run to start the game. Moments later Andrew Grant (Toronto, ON) would steal the ball and break away down the court to finish with an emphatic dunk. The Gryphons would end the quarter down two however, with a score of 20-18.

The second quarter emotions would get the best of both teams, as McMaster forward Connor Gilmore (Etobicoke, ON) would receive a technical foul early in the quarter that set the tone for what was to come. Later on Gryphons guard Jonathan Wallace (Toronto, ON) and McMaster guard Aaron Redpath (Ajax, ON) would get into a scuffle, igniting both benches. The Marauders would get into foul trouble during the frame, which kept the Gryphons in the game. The half would end with the Marauders leading the Gryphons 39-33.

The intensity to the game was not forgotten over the half time break as the jawing and the technical fouls continued to pour in. Scoring wise, the third quarter was a back-and-forth affair as McMaster would score 24 in the period, while the Gryphons managed 22 points. The Marauders took a 63-55 lead into the final quarter.

That is where the Marauders would start to expand the lead and separate themselves from the Gryphons. Aaron Redpath caught fire from beyond the arc, knocking down several clutch three pointers. He finished as the games high scorer with 23 points as the Marauders improve to 11-3 thanks to an 86-74 victory. McMaster shot 52% in the second half compared to the Gryphons 38%. Trevor Thompson (Burlington, ON) led the Gryphons with 19 points while Daniel Dooley had 12 points, five rebounds and five assists.

The Gryphons (6-6) remain in second place in the Central Division behind Mac (Lakehead is also 6-6, but Guelph owns the head-to-head with the Thunderwolves). The Gryphons will host another divisional opponent on Saturday (Jan. 31) at 3pm when they welcome the Brock Badgers (5-8) to the W.F. Mitchell Athletics Centre.